J. Walter Thompson Company. Frankfurt Office. Hans Ihlefeld papers, 1952-1980, bulk 1972-1978

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Summary

Creator:
J. Walter Thompson Company. Frankfurt Office
Abstract:
The J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT), founded in 1864, is one of the oldest and largest enduring advertising agencies in the United States. Hans Ihlefeld was financial manager and director of JWT's branch offices in Frankfurt, Vienna and Zurich in the 1960s and 1970s. The Hans Ihlefeld Papers document Ihlefeld's tenure as financial manager and director of the Frankfurt, Vienna, and Zurich offices of JWT, where he oversaw the expansion of the agency with regard to number of clients, subsidiaries, and financial volume. The collection includes correspondence, telexes and telegrams, memoranda, tables of results, charts and graphs, client and account lists, profit plans, computer printouts, invoices and receipts, contracts, clippings, articles and other printed material. Specific topics documented in the Hans Ihlefeld papers include financial statements and transactions concerning the German-speaking areas of Europe (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) and Scandinavia, especially profit projections and periodic (monthly, quarterly, and annual) results reports; communication between Ihlefeld and other JWT executives and offices about JWT short- and long-term strategy; account planning; communication with JWT's European subsidiaries ARC, Basisresearch, Century, ProService, and PR; and correspondence with clients. The bulk of communications take place between the Vienna, Zurich, Stockholm, and New York offices. Notable company correspondents include Peter Gilow and Harry Clark. Clients well documented in the collection include Braun, Unilever (Elida Gibbs, Lever Sunlicht), Ford, Jacobs, Kraft, and PepsiCo. Approximately 60% of the collection is in German, and the remainder is in English, except for one very small portion in French.
Extent:
13.5 Linear Feet
12,150 Items
Language:
Material in English , German , French
Collection ID:
RL.00698

Background

Scope and content:

The Hans Ihlefeld Papers span the years 1969 to 1978, with the bulk of the material dating from 1972 to 1978, and document Ihlefeld's tenure as financial manager and director of the Frankfurt, Vienna, and Zurich offices of JWT, where he oversaw the expansion of the agency with regard to number of clients, subsidiaries, and financial volume. The collection includes correspondence, telexes and telegrams, memoranda, tables of results, charts and graphs, client and account lists, profit plans, computer printouts, invoices and receipts, contracts, clippings, articles and other printed material. Specific topics documented in the Hans Ihlefeld papers include: financial statements and transactions concerning the German-speaking areas of Europe (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) and Scandinavia, especially profit projections and periodic (monthly, quarterly, and annual) results reports; communication between Ihlefeld and other JWT executives and offices about JWT short- and long-term strategy; account planning; communication with JWT's European subsidiaries ARC, Basisresearch, Century, ProService, and PR; and correspondence with clients. The bulk of communications take place between the Vienna, Zurich, Stockholm, and New York offices. Notable correspondents include Peter Gilow and Harry Clark. Clients well documented in the collection include Braun, Unilever (Elida Gibbs, Lever Sunlicht), Ford, Jacobs, Kraft, and PepsiCo. Approximately 60% of the collection is in German, and the remainder is in English, except for one very small portion in French.

The collection is made up of three series: Correspondence and Memoranda; Finance; and German-Speaking Areas (GSA) Series.

The Correspondence and Memoranda Series comprises reports, summaries and written communications that passed through Ihlefeld's office. The series is organized into six subseries--General Correspondence, Clients, JWT Offices, JWT Subsidiaries, Memoranda/Haus Mitteilungen, and Trend Letter. The General Correspondence Subseries focuses primarily on the Frankfurt Office's financial negotiations and agreements with clients in the form of letters, budgets (of media and production costs), billings, and taxes. The Clients Subseries reflects the financial and planning aspects of JWT-Frankfurt's relationship with its clients. The Ford account in particular is well-documented, but files also exist for other clients including Braun, Jacobs, PepsiCo, and Unilever. The JWT Offices Subseries documents the coordination of financial operations between the Frankfurt Office and the Zurich, Stockholm, Vienna, and New York offices, and to a lesser extent with other JWT offices. Topics include short- and long-term financial planning (particularly with regard to profits and taxes), transactions between different JWT offices, tax audits, insurance matters, legal matters, and personnel matters (including visits) in the Frankfurt, Vienna, Zurich, and Stockholm offices. The JWT Subsidiaries Subseries gives information--mostly of a financial or tax-related nature--on JWT's European subsidiaries ARC, Basis, Century, ProService, and PR. The Memoranda/Haus-Mitteilungen Subseries documents the daily administration of the Frankfurt office, particularly with regard to production, financial matters, personnel, and taxes. The Trend Letter Subseries documents the acquisition and demise of Trend Letter, a financial newsletter designed for the business side of the advertising industry.

The Finance Series documents gains and losses, budgeting, taxes, the role of the comptroller, and monthly, quarterly, as well as annual results in the German Speaking Area.

The German-Speaking Area (GSA) Series documents JWT operations in the three-country area of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Topics include financial reporting and planning in the GSA and Scandinavia, as well as for several European subsidiaries.

Biographical / historical:
Chronology
Date Event
1969
Joined JWT
1973
Financial Manager for Vienna and Zurich, JWT Frankfurt
1977
Director for Germany, JWT Frankfurt
Acquisition information:
The J. Walter Thompson Company. Frankfurt Office. Hans Ihlefeld Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a transfer in 1995.
Processing information:

Processed by Richard Collier, Sylvia Pfeiffenberger, April 2006

Encoded by Richard Collier, Norbert Schurer

Completed April 2006

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. There may be a 48-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], J. Walter Thompson Company. Frankfurt Office. Hans Ihlefeld Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.